


Rough Hunt

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Confusion, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 13:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14379189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: Funds are tight, so the group takes on a dangerous hunt in the Daurell Caverns. Unfortunately, things get worse when Noctis is hit by a Confusion spell.





	Rough Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> This is for GigglinCactus who asked for a confusion story. I nearly went one way, buuuuuut then I decided we could all use some more angst ;)
> 
> (Also, congrats to all who spot the teeny weeny old school Final Fantasy reference)

“Why are we doing this again?” Prompto asked, voice quivering. “Did none of you ever watch horror movies? You know what lives in dark, creepy caves! We are all asking to die horribly.”

Noctis laughed. Ignis sighed. Gladio gave Prompto a nudge, pushing him first into the depths of the Daurell Caverns.

“We’re here because we need to take out the daemons this place keeps spawning,” Gladio said. “Too many lives have been lost.”

“And we’re broke,” Noctis added. So broke, in fact, they’d had to sell off a few of their belongings to make ends meet. “We need the Gil.”

“I know, I know,” Prompto said. “But Hecteyes are the worst. All those eyes, staring at me no matter where I go. Oh, yeah, and the entire place is literally poisoned!”

“Which is why I’ve made extra antidotes. They’re in the Armiger, ready if you fall into those poisoned pools face first again,” Noctis said.

“Did you have to remind me?” Prompto said. “That sucked so much last time we were here!”

“You’ll be fine,” Ignis said.

Sighing dramatically, Prompto moved on.

They edged deeper into the caves. The hunt had come directly from Dave, along with a stern warning. The Hecteyes seeping out of the caves had already claimed the lives of countless locals exploring the area, and the four hunters initially tasked with taking them out. Noctis hoped he and his friends would have better luck, but that didn’t mean it would be easy. The caverns were a warren of poisonous pits and nasty daemons. It wasn’t a place to treat lightly.

Noctis heard the sounds of daemons shifting and murmuring in the distance. Prompto muttered fearfully under his breath. Noctis tuned it out. He needed to concentrate. They were heading into real danger here, and yes, the need for Gil was part of the reason why. But the real reason he wanted to clear out the caves was because he had a duty to protect the citizens of Lucis, especially now Insomnia had fallen. They had been left to fend for themselves for too long. Now, he had to do something to help.

Their path ended at a sharp drop. It was hard to see what lay ahead; the rock ceiling dropped so low it obscured the view of the next cavern, meaning the opening into it was only just large enough for them to squeeze through. Noctis moved to go first. He was the one who’d agreed to the hunt; he should be the one to lead.

“Wait.” Gladio’s sharp voice brought them all to a halt. He crouched down to get a better view. “Look. Down there.”

Prompto crouched down. “Target acquired,” he murmured.

In the lower cavern, they found four Hecteyes. A putrid, rotten stench came off them in waves, like rotten meat mixed in raw sewerage.

“Can we do this from a distance?” Noctis asked, trying not to breathe in too deeply.

“Magic in such a closed environment would not be wise,” Ignis said. “And I doubt Prompto has the firepower to take these out independently.”

“Sorry, Noct,” Prompto said.

“It’s not your fault. I just wanted to be lazy.” Noctis pulled a pair of daggers out of the Armiger. “Orders, Ignis?”

“Prompto, hang back and draw their attention. Noct, when you’re in the cavern, Warpstrike the one furthest away but don’t risk Stasis. Gladio and I will take one each.” Ignis glanced at the others. “Whatever you do, don’t use magic unless it’s a last resort. And be certain to give fair warning.”

Gladio summoned his own weapon. “Let’s do this.”

Noctis dropped the ladder and followed it into the cavern. He warped, plunging the daggers deep into the Hecteyes furthest from the others. The creature moved, its gelatinous body slurping as all of its eyes locked onto him. Noctis’ stomach quailed but he fought on, slashing the creature again as it lurched towards him. The Hecteyes slid towards him. Noctis slipped back, and his left foot dipped, taking his balance with it. Panic shot across his heart. He looked over his shoulder and saw a massive hole in the ground. Below was another, darker cavern. They hadn’t been able to see it from above.

He turned back to the Hecteyes, just in time to see its remaining eyes light up with a dark glow. Shit. _Shit!_ Noctis attacked again, burying his blades into the nearest eyes. They sank deeper into the mushy flesh until he was buried up to his elbows. The creature let out a death rattle, but Noctis hadn’t been fast enough to stop the attack. A terrible pain lurched through his skull, sending his vision wheeling and spinning. He staggered backwards, but he couldn’t pull his arms free.

Suddenly, he had no more ground to stand on.

Noctis fell. The Hecteyes fell with him, its heavy body pinning him down.

But Noctis didn’t hit the ground. He hit something soft and foul.

Hecteyes. He’d fallen into a nest of Hecteyes. They swamped him, pulling him down, down, down into their hole. He lashed out, tearing his arms free of the corpse. He shoved the dead daemon off of him, but there were already others pressing in on him.

Magic. He needed magic. Fire. He ripped a flask out of the Armiger and threw it. It was a Blizzard spell. For some reason, he found that absolutely hilarious, even as another part of him knew he was in really serious trouble. The magic eliminated some of the smaller Hecteyes, but not enough of them. They crushed him, muffling his ridiculous laughter as they filled every scrap of space around him. He tried to fight back, but he couldn’t move.

Slime slid over his body. It rolled down his face, coating his lips. Glowing eyes surrounded him. He couldn’t look away. The sounds of his friends fighting above disappeared. His vision became a kaleidoscope of eyes. Eyes everywhere. Watching him. Looking at him. Staring into his mind and seeing what he could not see.

Voices filled his head. _Danger. Everywhere. Everything’s coming to get you. You’re going to die. It’s here. It’s waiting for you. Death is coming to take you._

He tried to speak, but he couldn’t fill his lungs enough to make himself heard. Foul, sticky mess slid into his mouth, coating his tongue and choking his lungs. He battled to reach out beyond the Hecteyes, but no one was there to pull him free.

Noctis’ vision fractured. He couldn’t think. Confusion sunk into him, ripping reality away from him.

The glowing eyes were the last things he saw before everything went black.

* * *

Prompto’s opponent finally died. Whooping in relief, he saw Ignis and Gladio finished off their Hecteyes.

But where was Noctis?

Prompto noticed a strange indentation in the ground at the rear of the cavern. He hadn’t noticed it before. Approaching, he saw it wasn’t an indentation at all but another drop into another cavern, one stuffed full of Hecteyes.

And some of them were dead, frozen by magic.

“Noct?”

He didn’t respond. Prompto shot dead a Hecteyes, and as its body collapsed to the side, he saw Noctis, slumped and unconscious. Prompto moved to jump down, but a hand grabbed him and pulled him back. Gladio leapt down, Greatsword swinging and cutting through the Hecteyes. Flesh and guts splattered against the walls. Gladio grabbed Noctis, threw him over one shoulder, and ran back to the opening to the higher cavern. He raised Noctis up. “Take him!”

Ignis and Prompto grabbed Noctis. His body was so coated in gunk, he nearly slipped free of their grasp. With Gladio pushing from below, Ignis and Prompto managed to pull him into their cavern. Gladio disappeared again, slicing his way through the Hecteyes below.

“Is he breathing?” Prompto asked.

“Yes,” Ignis said. He dug his knuckles into Noctis’ collarbones. “Noct, wake up.”

Noctis didn’t react. Prompto stared at him. He was pale, filthy and covered in something really smelly, but there wasn’t any sign of blood. That was good. It had to be.

A few moments later, the sound of battle ended. “Done,” Gladio called up from below.

“Good,” Ignis said. “Let’s move.”

Gladio climbed up. “Noct?” he called. “You alright?”

As though responding to his name, Noctis gasped into wakefulness. He coughed and wheezed, jerking upright. He spat out a mouthful of sticky gunk, then wretched to clear more from his stomach. Prompto gagged sympathetically.

“Noct?” Ignis asked.

To their complete disbelief, Noctis broke out into hysterical laughter. He rolled onto his back, giggling and clapping his hands.

Prompto looked at Ignis. “Um…”

“It’s Confusion,” Ignis said. He reached out. “Come along, we need to leave.”

Still laughing, Noctis smacked Ignis’ hand away. He sat up and staggered to his feet, weaving back and forth drunkenly. He spoke in rapid-fire, broken sentences, never making sense. His eyes roved around his surroundings like the walls would attack him without warning. The Engine Blade appeared in Noctis’ hands. He swung it, sending his friends scattering. Gladio pressed a hand to his chest, a thin line of blood appearing.

“Shit!” he hissed, shaking blood off of his fingertips. “Keep back!”

“Stay away from me!” Noctis roared. He laughed, caught between hysterics and deadly seriousness. “Stop looking like them. You’re not them! Where are my friends? They weren’t… they weren’t down there! No one… Alone. I was alone. What did you do to them?”

“Noct, it’s us,” Prompto said. “You’re Confused.”

“Liar!” Noctis launched himself at Prompto , only to trip over his own feet and crash to the ground. The strange laughter continued pouring out of him, only now desperation tinged it. “Where are my friends?”

Gladio pulled a Potion out of the Armiger and crushed it. The magic healed him. “We need to get him out of here.”

“We should’ve prepared some Remedies,” Ignis said, keeping a wary eye on Noctis.

“Couldn’t afford them, remember?” Gladio said.

A loud shriek came from the depths of the caverns. Goblins. And by the sound of it, a lot of them.

“You’re not killing me!” Noctis roared, staggering back to his feet.

“Stay alert,” Gladio ordered. “They’re coming.”

“We can’t fight them and Noct at the same time,” Ignis said.

“How do we do this?” Prompto asked.

“Pin him down and disarm him,” Gladio said. He ran at Noctis, but Noctis swung his sword at him, forcing him back. “Shit, Noct! It’s me!”

“Stay back,” Noctis said, words jittering. “Stay back. Don’t… don’t come near me.” He swung his sword, but it was sloppy and lazy. “You’re not… You’re not him! You’re not any of them!”

“Noct, it’s us,” Prompto said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“It’s not gonna work,” Gladio said. “We’re gonna have to knock him out.”

“What?” Prompto cried out. Noctis swung at him, but he scrambled out of the way. “I can’t do that!”

The goblins shrieked again, closer this time.

“You have to,” Gladio said. “He’s a danger to us and himself right now.”

Prompto shook his head. “But –”

“Gladio’s right,” Ignis said. “Incapacitate him and drag him out. We cannot stay here.”

Noctis warped, but the Confusion sent him crashing to the floor instead at Prompto’s feet. Prompto grabbed the Engine Blade and sent it back into the Armiger, but Noctis was still fast on his feet. He lashed out with a fist, knuckles smashing into Prompto’s nose. Pain exploded in Prompto’s face, and moments later, hot blood flowed down his face. Noctis attacked again, but this time Prompto was ready for him. He blocked the next punch and instead delivered one of his own, his fist slamming into Noctis’ unprotected gut.  Noctis went down hard, coughing and wheezing.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Prompto said. He drew his fist back, ready to deliver one more blow. “But I know you’ll thank me later when we’re not being picked apart by goblins.”

He didn’t get a chance to strike. Noctis warped away, crashing into Ignis and pinning him to the ground.

“Where is he?” Noctis demanded. “Why are you wearing his face?”

“Noct, stop!” Ignis blocked Noctis’ flurry of blows until Gladio ran over and pulled him aside, wrapping his massive arms around Noctis. “Thank you,” Ignis said, picking himself up and dusting himself down.

“I’ve got him,” Gladio said. “Make sure Prompto’s alright.”

Ignis dashed off, summoning a Potion as he reached Prompto’s side. Gladio struggled to hold onto Noctis. “Dammit, stay still!”

“No! No, let me go! Let me go, they have to die!” Noctis raved on and on, squirming in Gladio’s arms. “I have to kill them. Not safe. It’s not safe! Everywhere. They’re everywhere! It’s full. Cave’s full. Coming. They’re coming. Go. Go. Get out. Kill them. Run! It’s gonna… it’s… no, no, no, it took your face. It took – you’re not Gladio.”

Noctis’ body burned with feverish heat. Gladio knew if he didn’t do something soon, Noctis would slip free. “You need to calm down. You’re Confused.”

Another shriek alerted them to the goblins. They’d finally arrived, and they were already on the attack. Gladio blocked the first wave with his shield, pinning Noctis to his side with just one arm, but it wasn’t enough to stop the daemons.

“They’ll kill us,” Noctis ranted. “You’ll… they’ll… everything… dead. We’ll die… I have to fight! It’s coming!” He giggled again. “Death’s coming!”

Noctis went limp, slipping his arms free of Gladio’s hold. But Gladio was faster. “Sorry, Noct.” He drove his elbow into the back of Noctis’ head. Noctis dropped, a complete deadweight, every limb limp. Gladio carried him to the edge of the cavern, tucked him into a nook behind a rocky outcropping, and left him there.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Gladio said.

Noctis didn’t even stir.

Gladio armed himself and attacked the nearest goblins. Prompto joined him moments later, his broken nose healed thanks to a Potion. Ignis was there too, daggers raised. But for every goblin they took out, five more took its place.

“Do we have to take out all of them?” Prompto asked.

“They’ve surrounded us,” Ignis said.

“Shit,” Gladio hissed. “Don’t stop. Take them all out.”

Prompto took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Ignis nodded. “We will survive this.”

Because if they didn’t, neither would Noctis.

Before any of them could move, something else slid out of the shadows.

A Necromancer had arrived.

Prompto saw it first and fired a shot at it. The Necromancer whirled on them, letting out a hissing cry.

“Death,” Prompto said. “Noct was right.”

“Move!” Ignis bellowed.

They didn’t have time. The Necromancer cast a bright light across the entire cavern.

When it dimmed, everything in its path was stone.

Every goblin.

Gladio.

Prompto.

Ignis.

The Necromancer sensed life. There was something else it could take nearby.

* * *

Pain hit him first. Groaning, Noctis opened his eyes, only to find his vision blurred and twisted. Nausea churned in his gut as everything twisted around him. Head pounding, heart slamming against his ribs, he struggled to his feet. He had to get up. He had to fight. Alarms shrieked in his head. He couldn’t remember what was out there. He just knew everything was bad. Bad, bad, bad. Enemies everywhere. Coming for him. Reaching for him. Stealing his friends’ faces. There. There! In front of him. A massive, floating figure glided towards him. His vision crystallised and he saw bony hands reaching for him.

_Death is coming for you._

He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t do what his brain told it to do. Before he could warp, his attacker grabbed him, raising him off the floor. Claws bit into his skin. Dark magic closed around him, tugging the life out of him.

Cold. He was so cold. The world faded. His body felt so far away. Everything screamed at him to fight back. Noctis squirmed, trying to free himself. He tried to pull a weapon out of the Armiger, only to find his hands full of magic flasks instead. He slammed it into his attacker, and watched a powerful wall of fire explode between them. Skin burning, Noctis kicked his way free as the Necromancer flew back, shrieking and clawing at itself. Noctis’ magic was strong, but not strong enough to take his enemy out in one hit. He threw another flask at it, this time a Thundaga spell. It hit the Necromancer but Noctis felt the shock of magic shrieking through his body. He staggered back, limbs jerking. He crashed into something. A wall? Something made of stone and yet… arms. He was in something’s arms. What… what was…

Noctis turned his back on the Necromancer to face what he’d hit. What…. A person? Petrified… Ignis? No. The sight of it morphed and warped before him, bulging and transforming into a hideous daemon. Noctis cried out and backed away, only for the Necromancer’s shrieks to remind him he was still in terrible, terrible danger.

He looked around and saw stone figures everywhere, all of them slowly, slowly, slowly turning to face him, hunger in their eyes and death on their minds.

Weren’t they?

Noctis blinked hard, shook his head, and looked again. No. No, they weren’t moving. Statues… statues didn’t move. Breath stuttering out of him, Noctis looked to the Necromancer. It was wounded, but it was coming for him again. Already, the Death magic reached into him, pulling what energy it could drag out of him.

Noctis held out a hand. He needed a weapon. Anything at all. All of them! He had to fight!

Crystalline weapons appeared around him in a flash of light.

Armiger.

He couldn’t help but laugh. He’d wanted one weapon. His Armiger gave him _all_ of the weapons. Giggling helplessly, he annihilated the Necromancer with a few easy hits.

The Armiger dispersed in a brilliant flash of blue light. Exhaustion swooped in. He giggled uncontrollably. Barely escaping a Necromancer and then using the Armiger probably wasn’t his best idea…

Alone again, he whirled around to face the cavern. His vision warped and wavered, but his laughter didn’t die as he saw countless stone eyes staring at him. Staring, staring, staring.

Daemons. Daemons of stone. Three… three were taller than the others. Maybe… no. No, they weren’t his friends.

Pretending.

They were pretending! Waiting. Gonna kill him the minute he turned his back.

Unless he crushed them to dust first.

He moved to the stone creature _pretending_ to be Ignis. Noctis _knew_ the moment it moved, it would kill him.

So he had to kill it first.

Kill it, then find the real Ignis.

Noctis punched the stone. It didn’t crack. It didn’t move. All it did was bruise his fingers.

Angry now, Noctis pulled a sword from the Armiger and slammed that into the stone statue. It didn’t even leave a dent. Neither did anything else Noctis tried.

That meant only one thing.

He’d have to turn the statue back into its living, breathing, daemonic self, and then kill it. He tapped the stonework’s chest. “Then you can give me back the real Ignis,” he said. And then he laughed.

Talking to a stone statue. Now who was crazy?

He reached into the Armiger, rummaging around for a… a… what was it? What turned things back into things when they were turned into stone? A Soft? No, what the hell was a _Soft_? Something needle… Gold Needle? Gold Needle! He pulled one out. At the same time, he managed to rip a weapon out of the Armiger too. It was a gun. One of Prompto’s old ones. Not Noctis’ speciality. Still, better than nothing. If he hit the bastard in the heart, it would still die.

Finally ready, Noctis jammed the Gold Needle into the stone daemon ahead of him.

Dust clouds blocked his view for a moment, but he was ready. Noctis held out the gun.

Pulled the trigger.

Click. The chamber was empty. Noctis’ thumb rested on the barrel and turned it once.

“Noct, what are you doing? Stop!”

Noctis aimed again. The fake Ignis lurched towards him, slapping Noctis’ arms to one side.

Noctis pulled the trigger.

The explosion echoed.

Ignis fell back with a cry. He clutched his upper arm, blood gushing from the wound. The bullet must’ve grazed him.

Somewhere deep inside, Noctis cried out in horror and panic. What had he done?

Anger silenced his horror. It sounded like Ignis, looked like Ignis, but it wasn’t him. Fake Ignis. A daemon, wearing his face.

“Not Ignis,” Noctis hissed. “You die, and he comes back!”

The fake Ignis reached for him. “Noct, stop. I’m not a fake.”

Noctis reached into the Armiger. A gun wasn’t what he needed. This time, the Engine Blade appeared in his hand.

“Stop!” the Fake Ignis shouted. “Kill me, and you’ll never have your friend back. None of them.”

Noctis hesitated. “What?”

“If I die, they die.” The fake Ignis stood straighter. He was pale and sweating, but he didn’t back down. “Do as I say, and I will return them to you unharmed.”

Confused, Noctis didn’t know what to do. “What?”

Panting for breath, the fake Ignis pressed a hand to his wound. “Are you ready? I’ll tell you what to do.”

The fake’s fist lashed out. Noctis didn’t react fast enough. He took the blow to the cheek and hit the ground hard. Dazed, and angry, he tried to fight back.

Except the fake Ignis had a spear in his hand now. Had he pulled it from the Armiger? No, he must’ve stolen it. From… from the real Ignis.

No. No, that didn’t make sense. _None_ of this made sense. “What’s happening?” Noctis asked.

“I’m sorry,” the fake Ignis said. “But you’ll be better when you wake up.”

The end of the spear smashed into Noctis’ temple, and he knew no more.

Ignis dismissed the spear. Teeth clenched, he carefully probed the wound. It was deep, and he’d lost a lot of blood, but the bullet had clipped him rather than pass through him. Lightheaded, teetering dangerously, Ignis quickly pulled a Hi-Potion out of the Armiger and crushed it. The pain subsided as magic healed him, but a dull ache remained. As did the light-headedness. Even a Hi-Potion couldn’t immediately cure the effects of blood loss. Ignis knew they needed to escape. It looked like Noctis had somehow taken care of the Necromancer despite the Confusion, but they wouldn’t be safe until they were out of this place, even with all the goblins petrified.

Ignis used Gold Needles on Prompto and Gladio. Both of them stared at him. “What happened?” Gladio demanded.

“Noct,” Ignis said. His knees gave out. Prompto grabbed him. “Thank you. The blood loss is affecting me more than I expected.”

“Blood loss?” Prompto asked. He held onto Ignis. “What happened?”

“I’m alright now,” Ignis said, wincing at the wobble in his voice that betrayed him. “A Hi-Potion healed the worst of it.”

“Noct?” Gladio asked.

“Yes,” Ignis said. “He… He thought I was an imitation. Thought we all were, actually. He tried to kill me, but I talked him out of it.”

“You… talked him out of it?” Gladio deadpanned.

“Yes,” Ignis said. “But perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere? I for one need a rest.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry.” Gladio turned to Prompto. “I’ve got Noct. You two go on ahead.”

“You’ll have to drive,” Ignis said to Prompto. “It wouldn’t be wise for me to do so.”

“Me? Drive? Really?”

“You’ll be fine,” Ignis said.

As Gladio grabbed Noctis, Prompto helped Ignis out of the caverns. “Do you think Noct will be alright when he wakes up? ‘Cause, uh, I kinda don’t wanna keep fighting him.”

“Let’s hope so,” Ignis said. “I can’t imagine the blows to the head are doing him any good.”

* * *

Rain.

Cold.

Tired.

Noctis opened his eyes. He saw a rain-smeared window ahead of him. He took a deep breath, the familiar smell of the Regalia soothing him. He blinked, his vision focusing on the sight of the grey skies beyond the car window, framed by trees. Some distant, dozy part of his brain knew where he was, but he couldn’t bring the name to the forefront of his thoughts. He tried to move, but he was too tired. Noctis placed his hands against his aching head. The pain was unreal. His fingers found a number of lumps growing beneath his hair. When had he hit his head?  He didn’t understand anything. The car wasn’t moving. How was he even in the car when the last thing he remembered was…

Caverns.

Hecteyes.

Enemies everywhere.

Necromancer.

Fake Ignis and…

“Ignis!”

Noctis jerked upright. He looked, but no one was in the car with him. He forced himself out of the car, only for his legs to refuse to carry him. He hit the asphalt, gashing his palms on the damp road. Rain pummelled him, chilling him to the core. Tired, head throbbing, he grabbed the car and pulled himself to his feet. Where were they? Where had his friends gone? What if they were still in that cave? What if he’d… what if that fake Ignis he’d shot had…

Wait… what fake Ignis? What was he thinking about?

Shot? The memory, confused and blurry though it was, hit hard.

Noctis had shot Ignis. Not a fake one, but the very real Ignis.

He’d punched Prompto too. And cut Gladio.

What if he’d left them all for dead?

A vicious twist of nausea doubled him over. He gagged, but nothing came up. He had to find his friends. He looked around and realised it was the Taelpar Rest Stop. But how?

“Noct!”

He looked up through the rainstorm and saw Prompto running towards him, a bag of takeout in his arms. And yet at the same time, there was a certain level of wariness in Prompto’s gait, like he might have to drop the bag and defend himself at any second.

Noctis stepped towards him. Prompto skidded to a halt. Noctis’ heart lurched. What had he done to make his best friend so uncertain?

“How… how are you feeling?” Prompto asked.

“Your nose,” Noctis said. “I… I broke it.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Can’t even tell you hit me. Nice right hook by the way.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“You were Confused. But hey, looks like it’s worn off. That’s good, right?”

Tears threatened, but Noctis blinked them away. “Where’s Ignis?” His voice came out ragged and breathless.

“He’s okay, I swear. He’s already in the motel room with Gladio. We kinda figured you might sleep a bit longer.” Prompto smiled. “Looks like we were wrong for once.”

“Which room?” Noctis demanded.

“He’s fine, I swear.”

“Which room, Prompto?”

“Number two.”

Noctis whirled around and raced to the motel, not caring that his head wanted to explode. He swallowed back a wave of sickness. He didn’t have time for weakness, not when he’d _shot Ignis._

“He’s fine, Noct! Slow down, would you? You really don’t look so good and – ”

Noctis entered the room and found Ignis shedding a bloodstained shirt while Gladio sat on the edge of a bed, watching silently. Noctis caught sight of the still-healing wound where he’d… where the bullet…

Words fled Noctis. Moments later, his stomach contents made good on their threats. He made it into the bathroom in time to vomit noisily down the toilet. Now that the Confusion had worn off, he remembered everything.

He rested his pounding head against the toilet bowl. It all seemed like such madness now.

How could he have hurt his friends like that?

Noctis pulled himself together; he couldn’t hide in the bathroom all day. He got to his feet, just as someone knocked on the door.

“Yeah?”

Ignis slipped in with a towel and a change of clothes. Guilt tightened Noctis’ chest. Even now, even after everything, Ignis was still taking care of him.

“A shower would not go amiss,” Ignis said.

Noctis shook his head, sending more pain shooting across his skull. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.”

“It was a Confusion effect. There was nothing any of us could have done to stop it.” Ignis sighed. “We really must invest in some protective armaments as soon as funds allow.”

“But I –”

“The same thing would’ve happened to any of us had we been hit by the Confusion attack,” Ignis said. “And I’m fine. We’re all fine.” He held out the towel and change of clothes. “Go on,” he said. “Wash up.”

Noctis shook his head, even though it made his brain feel like it had come loose. It was pain he deserved.  “I could have killed all of you.” He’d very nearly tried. “I couldn’t… everything was so screwed up in my head. Nothing made sense. I thought you’d all been replaced and I was going to kill –”

“No,” Ignis said. “You wouldn’t have.”

“I tried!”

“Don’t dwell on it. We’re all fine.” Ignis set his bundle down on a small stool beside the sink. Moments later, he placed both hands on Noctis’ shoulders. “You don’t need to keep blaming yourself for this. Focus on reality. We completed the hunt, Dave’s on his way to pay us, and now we can carry on with our journey.”

Noctis blinked back tears. “I’m sorry.”

“No more apologies.”

“Right,” Noctis said, rubbing at his eyes.

“Clean yourself up. You need rest as well.” Ignis’ hands deftly checked the bumps on Noctis’ head. “I’ll ensure there are ice packs ready for those. Come out when you’re ready.”

Ignis slipped out, leaving Noctis alone. On autopilot, he turned on the shower, shed his filthy clothes and stood under the powerful spray without moving. Eventually, blood and filth no longer tainted the water running off of him. Weary and in pain, he dozed upright, staying under the shower until the water ran cold. Shivering, he shut off the water and dried himself off. By the time he dressed in the sweats Ignis had provided, he could hardly keep his eyes open. He plodded into the main room to find Ignis asleep on one bed, Prompto going through his photos, and Gladio reading.

Prompto looked up. “Feeling better?” he asked. “You definitely smell better, dude.”

Dark thoughts of what could’ve happened swirled through Noctis’ mind. “I’m fine,” he mumbled.

“Head hurt?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah.”

“Hungry?” Gladio asked. “We saved you something.”

“No, thank you.” He headed to the other bed and sat down. The shower might have cleaned off the dirt, but it hadn’t washed away the guilt. “I’m sorry,” he said. “About what happened.” He looked up and met his friends’ gazes. “I shouldn’t have put you in that position. And I’m sorry I hurt you both.”

Gladio laughed. “You’d have to try a lot harder than that to hurt me.”

“Right,” Noctis said distractedly.

Gladio walked over, holding out a small pot of white pills. “For your head. Sometimes, medicine’s better than magic. Oh, yeah.” He held out a pair of ice packs. “You need these too.”

Noctis took the tablets and knocked back two, not bothering to find water. He knew a migraine when it had taken hold. He swallowed, wincing at the chalky taste. Grabbing the ice packs and pressing them to his throbbing skull, he sighed in relief as their chill fought back against the pain. Eyes closed, he shuffled backwards on the bed, settling himself against the pillows. Pain dragged him down into nightmarish depths where he hunted his friends down along winding corridors and drove blades into them again, and again, and again, their screams echoing around him as he laughed and laughed.

He jolted awake, ejected out of a dream into darkness. Panicking, heart pounding, he threw himself out of bed only to hit the ground in a tangle of bedsheets. A light snapped on.

“Noct?”

He looked up and saw Ignis sliding his glasses on and looking over at him.

Ignis frowned at him. “What’s wrong?”

The tears escaped him before he could even attempt to hold them in. Knees up to his chest, he buried his face and wept.

A few moments later, a hand wrapped around his shoulder. Ignis held him close. He didn’t speak. He simply sat with Noctis and held him.

By the time he calmed down, Noctis was ready to curl up on the floor and sleep right there. Ignis, however, had always been the more sensible of them both. He guided Noctis to the bed and settled him in.

“Sleep, Noct,” Ignis said, his hand brushing carefully over Noctis’ head, taking care not to knock the bumps. “Everyone’s safe. Gladio and Prompto are at the diner with Dave. You can relax.”

“I could’ve killed all of you today.”

“You didn’t. Go back to sleep. Rest. Everything will be fine.”

Noctis closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.”

Noctis drifted back into an uneasy sleep. And if Ignis had to sleep at Noctis’ side to keep further nightmares at bay, so be it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3 See you all next Friday.
> 
> I'm also on [Tumblr](https://breakfastteatime.tumblr.com) :D


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